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Week Six: Stress Less Sleep More

BIDMC Contributor

OCTOBER 12, 2017

Step 1: Read Lesson

Daily Stress

Stress is the body's normal physical response to anything that requires you
to adjust to change. Stressors vary from minor inconveniences to major life
traumas and express themselves in various forms that may include:

Physical stressors (fever, pain, illness)

Environment stressors (weather, noise, housing concerns, traffic)

social and emotional stressors (financial concerns, job and family
demands, having to make a big decision, guilt, loss)

As you lower your set point and reach a higher fitness level, your overall
stress level will likely drop a little bit. It is unavoidable to eliminate
all everyday stress, however learning to deal with your stress in a more
positive manner can help prevent it from getting in the way of reaching
your goals.

Ways to Prevent Stress

Certain stressors we can't plan for, but hopefully the exercises this week
help you hone in on what some of your primary stressors may be, so that you
can reevaluate how you can reduce stress inducing circumstances. One very
common reason people have stress is because they are not managing their
time well.

Take time for yourself by learning to say, "No."

Delegate or share some of your work or responsibilities with others.
Don't try to do it all yourself!

Set achievable goals and relish in "small" successes.

Plan ahead.

Make not of situations that have been stressful to you in the
past.

Plan for how to handle them or work around them.

Take charge of your time.

Be realistic. Everything seems to take longer than you expect,
so factor in extra time when making schedules.

Get organized.

Ways to Relieve Stress

Nurturing you mental health to stay in balance is the key to managing your
stress.

Mind-body techniques:
Progressive muscle relaxation. Isolating specific sets of muscles, tensing
them briefly, and then relaxing them creates a sense of release and
"letting go" that can quiet a racing mind. Start at the top of your head
and move down to your toes.

Deep breathing:
This technique is intended to mimic the deep, slow breathing that's typical
during sleep, which stems from the diaphragm, the muscle between the
abdomen and chest. While lying down:

Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.

Slowly inhale through your nose or through pursed lips (to slow the
breath).

Feel your stomach expand, which should cause your hand to rise.

Slowly exhale through pursed lips

Try to match the length of the exhale to the length of your inhale

Rest and repeat 5 to 10 times

Meditation:

Sit quietly in a comfortable position with your eyes closed

Relax your muscles and take a deep, slow breath

Chose a focus word or short phrase, perhaps one that resonates with
your religious or spiritual beliefs (for example, "one," "peace,"
"amen," or "shalom." )

As you breathe, repeat the word aloud or in your mind

Assume a passive attitude, without concern about how well you're doing.
When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well,"
and gently return to your repetition.

Continue for ten to 20 minutes.

Visualization or guided imagery:
A variant of meditation, this practice encourages you to focus instead on
soothing images to help you relax. You can conjure up your own images-a
scene, place, experience-or work with a therapist who verbalizes pleasant
images, such as beaches or forests. You can also buy recordings that will
help you practice this technique.

Sleep

There is a growing body of research showing a close link between duration
of sleep and body weight. Research shows that middle-aged adults who sleep
less than eight hours a night are more likely to be overweight. There are
many possible reasons for this connection currently being explored in
research.
Learn sleep strategies from the National Sleep Foundation >>

Cultivating Happiness During Your "Day Off"

Make connections:
Cultivate relationships by spending quality time with family members, a
partner, and friends, even pets. Make a conscious effort to gather for
family suppers, meet friends for coffee, walk with a neighbor, or catch up
with long-distance family and friends over the phone.

Count your blessings:
Writing down three to five things for which you feel thankful (a "gratitude
journal") can boost happiness.

Practice kindness:
Doing good makes you feel good, so find ways to give back, by being good
friend and neighbor, acting as a mentor or big brother or big sister to
someone, or by doing volunteer or charity work.